Faculty Research Profile

The current research of the first research team includes analyzing bone tissue microstructure and molecular changes, identifying genes affecting bone structure and function, studying historical bones, testing medications for osteoporosis and diabetes, evaluating treatment efficacy, and utilizing structural analyses in archaeozoology and forensic sciences.

The second research team focuses on molecular aspects of oocyte maturation and early animal embryo development. This research is crucial for improving indicators in animal production and biomedicine. Their interdisciplinary research bridges the gap between basic knowledge and practical applications. With a strong research profile in animal biotechnology, and molecular and cell biology, the team utilizes various cellular and molecular techniques to define technological interventions in basic biology.

The third scientific teams focus on biomonitoring phthalates and environmental endocrine disruptors in various working and teaching environments in Slovakia. They use specialized analytical techniques and have obtained international quality control certificates. The team has participated in national and international research projects, published data, and increased the laboratory's competitiveness.

The last research team focuses on plant resistance mechanisms against abiotic factors and the effects of contaminants, particularly heavy metals, on cellular, biochemical, and molecular processes. It examines how stress impacts plant resistance mechanisms and investigates physiological, anatomical, morphological, and molecular changes. The molecular analysis includes studying plant pathogenesis proteins (PR proteins) under stress. The research also explores enzymes and substances in fir and pine hybrids in relation to their position and abiotic factors. Additionally, the team optimizes analytical methods to assess environmental quality and aims to contribute to plant-based remediation programs.

The research conducted by the Knowledge Discovery and Data Analysis Research Group is centred around several key areas. Firstly, they specialize in web mining, with a particular focus on techniques for data preparation and modelling the behaviour of stakeholders in information systems over time. Secondly, they delve into text mining and natural language processing, emphasizing data preprocessing techniques in fields such as automated evaluation of machine translation. Lastly, the group explores learning analytics and educational data mining, aiming to model the behaviour of stakeholders in virtual learning environments, analyze content, develop learning analytics architecture, and implement self-regulated learning approaches.

The second research team centres around the Internet of Things (IoT). The goal is to examine the implementation of higher automation levels and explore the prerequisites for intelligent devices as systems with diverse technical, economic, and environmental requirements. The research also considers user comfort and the quality of life of users in this context.

Computational linguistics is the dominant area of the third research team. Within computational linguistics, it focuses on a computational description of the rules that natural language follows. In this respect, the primary goal of the research is to create or provide computational models of various phenomena in natural language that are based on data. The team focuses on a computational explanation of particular linguistic phenomena and examine to what extent the representations describing the language as a system are relevant to representations that are used to process natural language.

The research focuses on the changes in landscape utilization and their impact on the environment and quality of life. The research team analyzes reasons and consequences in various areas representing different landscape types in Slovakia. The approach is comprehensive, studying natural and socio-economic factors at multiple levels. Field research, remote sensing, and stakeholder input are combined. The evaluation leads to future landscape utilization models that prioritize environmental and ecosystem functions. International cooperation and method dissemination are also important aspects of the research.

Thermophysical (heat capacity, thermal expansion, thermal conductivity and diffusivity) and mechanical (mechanical strength, Young’s modulus) properties of building and ceramic materials are determining for their practical applications. Therefore, it is crucial to study the relations between these key properties and individual details of the manufacturing process from experimental or theoretical point of view. Detailed knowledge on a given material and its properties provides the opportunity to find its specific practical applications. For study of given properties, methods of thermal analysis are used: differential thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, thermodilatometry, flash method, hot wire method, and thermomechanical analysis.

The research team generates original findings regarding changes and processes in landscape use. They utilize advanced software applications to model physical-geographic phenomena like floods, avalanches, and landslides. Additionally, they employ field research and geographic information systems to analyze the temporal and spatial behaviour of landscape characteristics such as land use, hydrology, and geomorphology. The research is conducted at different hierarchical levels, from local (valleys, micro-watersheds) to regional (selected regions of Slovakia) and supra-regional (Slovakia, Central Europe) scales.

The dominant area of research is the process of acquiring mathematical knowledge and the development of mathematical thinking through various teaching environments using modern forms of education, including the online environment. Statistical methods specifically adapted for specific research are applied to diagnose and measure various pedagogical and didactic indicators within the framework of pedagogical research and its evaluation.